The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-08-10

horses, or sheep, cut when the clover is
in full bloom, or when the timothy Is
lust heading. Aweek or ten days before
the time for cutting the early or COW hay,
begin to watch the weather sharply and
without regard to the weather indica-
tons from Washington. On the first
decidedly clear day, especially If after q
general storm, and the wind north and
cool for the season, begin moving at
once, and, il convenient, with two ma
chimes. so as to get quantity making as
soon as possible. The chances are nine
out of ten, if not ninety-nine out of 100,
that there will follow, in this locality, at
least, three days of good hay weather;
hence it is best to cut down at once all
that can be handled in that time.
"The young grass on the damp ground
and in the cool air will cure slowly (as it
should do to make the finest cow hay),
and the machine probably need not be
stopped the first day to rake the hay.
But the punches and thick places should
be shaken up and scattered about, and
as soon as the steel-tooth rake can per-
form properly the grass should be gath
cred into winrows-into small ones if it
is curing slowly, and large ones if it is
curing rapidly. The time of raking and
the size of the winrows give us complete
control of the operation of curing. If
cured too rapidly we lose part Of the
heads and leaves, and lose at the same
time the finest quality and aroma of the
hay. If cured too slowly we run too
great risk from the weather. The win
rows should be turned or rolled over once
or twice to expose new surfaces to the
sun and air, but need not be re-spread as
in the method of cooking. The latter,
indeed, is too costly in time and labor
for modern farming.
'If partly cured hay is likely to be
caught in n storm, cooking and hay caps
may be resorted to; but the great secret
of successful haymaking is not to be thus
caught In haymaking, as usually prac-
ticed, the cutting can be done in the
morning; the raking toward evening,
and the hauling next day. In this case,
and still more when the already partly
dried grass can be cut and secured on the
same day, but little risk of rain, with
ordinary observation and prudence, need
be run. Even the extra early succulent
grass, which makes the finest COW hay,
can be cut, properly cured and housed in
three days, which is within the limit of
the extra fine weather conditions noted
above. But these must be watched for,
prepared for, and when they come, must
be improved with an extra force and en-
ergy. And, in my opinion, no extra out
lay will so well repay the dairyman as
that which secures such winter feed. The
amount of drying or curing needed de-
pends very much upon the storing.
"If the mows are mere shelves where
the hay will be only few feet in depth
and width, then the hay must be well
cured or mould will surely appear. If,
on the contrary, they are deep and wide
bays, exposed to the air-appoximating
in fact, the principles of the silo-then
| the hay needs to be cured only suf.
ficiently to keep it from charring or firing
with the heat of fermentation; provided
that large quantity is put in at one time,
and that the top-layers consist of straw
or well cured hay. With an abundance
of early cut clover or mixed hay, cured
lightly in the field and stored in sucl
mows, neither the dairy farmer nor hi,
cattle need banker after ensilage; for thu
degree of succulency in such hay mucl
greater than ordinary hay) is nearer righ
for general winter feed than the still
greater succulency of corn. Again, it
feeding value is much greater than fod
der corn whether green, dry or ensilaged
Lastly, partly, drying in the field anC
dispensing with weights in storing
causes the labor to be less than that o
ensilaUen -